US carriers cancel hundreds of flights

Two major American carriers decided to cancel hundreds of flights earlier today, in order to conduct safety inspections on several dozen airplanes. Delta Air Lines and American Airlines are advising passengers travelling on Friday to keep in mind that cancellations may, in fact, continue and Delta even warned that up to 325 individual flights may be cancelled over the course of the next two days.

Passengers who have booked a ticket with Delta are encouraged to contact the carrier before heading out to the airport, to determine if their flight has been affected by these mass cancellations. The carrier, however, is also trying to be proactive in this regard and has started contacting all passengers on affected flights, in order to let them know of the situation and arrange alternate transportation solutions. Delta also issued a public apology to all affected clients, asking for their patience and understanding, despite the obvious inconvenience.American Airlines actually started the series of cancellations yesterday, when the carrier decided to inspect dozens of planes. This led to a total of 318 flight cancellations thus far, with 132 of these originally scheduled to depart today. American Airlines would have normally operated some 2,500 flights Thursday, which means that a total of 6 percent of these were cancelled.

When reporters affiliated with CNN caught up with stranded passengers at the Atlanta Airport, they sensed a great deal of frustration, with travellers noting that these cancellations had caused them to miss job interviews, as well as connecting flights. One passenger told a local CNN-affiliate station that some 200 passengers were waiting to board their flight at the airport and were told, after around 8pm and after numerous announced delays, that in the end, their flight had been cancelled. Both Delta and American Airlines are said to be inspecting MD-80 and MD-88 airplanes.

www.delta.com